Eagles Battling Record Label Over Ownership Of Their Music

08/19/2011.

(Rock News Desk) Don Henley of the Eagles has slammed record labels' attempts to prevent musicians from gaining legal ownership of their master tapes. He says the big business argument amounts to labels claiming they created the work, not bands – and adds that if it puts companies in an even worse situation than they currently find themselves, it's their own fault.

Changes to American copyright law means labels will no longer be allowed to own recordings for ever. Provided they register two years in advance, artists can invoke "termination rights" and be granted ownership of masters recorded after 1978. Henley has begun that procedure for Eagles masters and suggests other musicians should think about doing the same.

Record companies had attempted to bypass the new law by having a "work for hire" clause inserted, meaning musicians would be viewed as having done a job for payment, in the same way builders might be paid to build a wall and wouldn't have any rights of ownership over it. But Henley says: "The work for hire clause attempts to state the record labels are the creators of these works – which is absurd." more on this story